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    Home » Recipes » Valentine's Day

    Cordial Cherry Cake Balls

    Modified: Aug 9, '23 · Published: Jan 27, '14 · By: Beth Klosterboer · Commission earned on paid or sponsored links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Combine chocolate-dipped cordial cherries with a cake ball to make these delicious Cordial Cherry Cake Balls. These sweet treats make wonderful Valentine's Day desserts but are perfect to give as Christmas gifts or as birthday party favors.

    chocolate cordial cherry cake balls filled with white cake ball dough and a maraschino cherry on white plates on a Valentine's Day towel.

    For Valentine's Day this year, I thought it would be fun to revisit a few of my most popular holiday recipes starting with my Sweet Chocolate Cherry Bombs, which are chocolate cake balls wrapped around a maraschino cherry and then dipped in dark chocolate.

    I knew when I made them for the first time, three years ago, brought them to a party, and they were gone in minutes, that I had hit on something pretty good. I've been so pleased to see that you like them too.

    This time, I created the center by wrapping white cake ball dough around a maraschino cherry and dipping them in Cordial Cherry Candy Melts. Yum!

    Cordial Cherry Cake balls with white cake wrapped around maraschino cherries are dipped in chocolate.

    Now, not only do they look like Cordial Cherries, but they taste like them too.

    So, let's make some Cordial Cherry Cake Balls.

    Ingredients

    white cake - Use one 9x13-inch or 2 8-inch round white cakes.
    frosting - To keep the cake balls bright white, use white vanilla frosting.
    maraschino cherries with stems
    Cordial Cherry Candy Melts*

    Substitutions

    * Sadly, the Wilton Cordial Cherry Candy Melts have been discontinued.

    You can use Dark Cocoa Candy Melts instead and flavor it using an oil-based cherry flavoring that is specifically formulated for chocolate.

    If you add the oil, and the candy melts get too thick, you can add some paramount Crystals or Wilton EX thin to thin them out.

    Supplies

    knife
    optional, stand mixer (or you can use your hands)
    ice cream scoop
    tall glass
    parchment paper-lined baking pans

    Instructions

    white cake balls

    Trim the browned edges off your cake.

    • Cut off all of the browned edges, top and bottom of the cake.
    • This will ensure you have nice white cake balls to wrap around your maraschino cherries.
    white cake balls

    Making white cake balls dough.

    • Crumble the white part of the cake and mix in some of the frosting.
    • Add more frosting until your cake balls hold together nicely.
      • I use my KitchenAid to mix the cake and frosting. You can mix it by hand or use a food processor, as well.
    • Add enough frosting so the cake sticks together.
    • The number of cake balls you get out of this recipe will depend on how you mix them. When I made them by hand I got more per batch.
    white cake balls
    • I wanted my cake balls to be very white, so I only used the white part of the cake and white frosting.
    • If you use the browned edges, top and bottom, you'll end up with an off-white cake ball instead.
    • I didn't want to waste all of those crumbs, so I made some cake ball mixture out of it which I just dipped in some chocolate. You can see that there was a lot of this in the bowl.
    How to make cake balls

    Wrap white cake ball dough around a cherry.

    • Drain and blot dry your maraschino cherries using a paper towel.
    • Scoop out tablespoonfuls of the cake ball mixture and wrap it around the cherries.
    • Roll into balls.
    Cake ball ideas

    Dip cake balls in chocolate.

    Before you begin, if you don't have much experience melting or working with candy melts, read my Chocolate Making Tips page.

    • Melt the candy melts in the microwave using 30-second bursts of high power, stirring after each until melted.
    • If using, stir in the cherry oil. If needed, add a small amount of paramount crystals and stir to thin out the candy melts.
    • Pour the melted candy melts into a short glass.
    • Dip the cake balls by holding onto the cherry stem.
    • Lift the cake ball out of the glass and allow the excess candy coating to drip off. Set cake balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
    • After dipping about 5 of your cordial cherry cake balls, pop them into the freezer for about 5 minutes. If you leave them out at room temperature for too long, they will begin to set and may develop white spots.
    • So, move quickly and just dip a handful before freezing them.
    • If you freeze them for too long, they can crack, so set your timer if need be.
    chocolate-dipped white cake balls filled with maraschino cherries served on a white square plate on a red and white heart napkin.

    Tips

    • I do not find it necessary to freeze my cake balls before dipping them. Whenever you are dipping anything in chocolate or Candy Melts you want it to be close to room temperature. When it's cold the chocolate will harden too quickly, causing it to crack.
    • If your cake balls are too soft to dip, let them sit out, uncovered, at room temperature for about an hour. The exterior will dry out slightly, making them easier to dip into the chocolate.

    Storage

    Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

    cut open cordial cherry cake ball showing the white cake ball dough surrounding a maraschino cherry

    Related Recipes

    If you enjoy making these cake balls, you might also enjoy these other recipes.

    Valentine's Day cake ball warm fuzzies

    Cake Ball Warm Fuzzies

    chocolate cherry cake balls with a maraschino cherry in the center of chocolate cake balls.

    Chocolate Cherry Cake Balls

    Funfetti Cake Pops covered in rainbow nonpareils.

    Funfetti Cake Pops

    Recipe

    chocolate cordial cherry cake balls filled with white cake ball dough and a maraschino cherry on white plates on a Valentine's Day towel.
    Print
    Cordial Cherry Cake Balls
    Prep Time
    30 mins
    Total Time
    30 mins
     

    Take chocolate covered cherries to the next level and make these Cordial Cherry Cake Balls! They're perfect for Valentine's day.

    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: cherry cordial, cherry cordial cake balls
    Servings: 20
    Calories: 175 kcal
    Author: Beth Klosterboer
    Ingredients
    • 1 baked white cake, brown edges, top and bottom trimmed
    • ⅓ -⅔ cup white frosting
    • 20 maraschino cherries with stems
    • 20 ounces Cordial Cherry Candy Melts or Dark Cocoa Candy Melts flavored with cherry oil
    Instructions
    1. Crumble the trimmed white cake into fine crumbs.

    2. Mix in frosting, adding just enough so that the cake balls hold together.
    3. Scoop out tablespoonfuls of the cake ball dough.

    4. Wrap the cake ball dough around maraschino cherries.

    5. Roll into balls.

    6. Melt the candy melts in the microwave using 30-second bursts of high power, stirring after each until melted. If using, stir in the cherry oil. If needed, add a small amount of paramount crystals and stir to thin out the candy melts. Pour the melted candy melts into a short glass.

    7. Dip the cake balls into the melted candy melts.

    8. Holding onto the stem, remove the cake ball from the chocolate and allow the excess to drip back into the glass.

    9. Freeze for about 5 minutes, until the candy coating is set.

    10. Serve and enjoy!

    Recipe Notes

    Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Beth Klosterboer
    Beth Klosterboer
    Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    Beth Klosterboer
    Latest posts by Beth Klosterboer (see all)
    • Irresistible Sweets with Dixie Crystals® - July 13, 2024
    • How to make peanut butter? - February 15, 2024
    • OREO Penguins - December 20, 2023

    More Valentine's Day Recipes

    • Black Forest Chocolate Truffles coated in a blend of cocoa powder and confectioners' powdered sugar.
      Black Forest Chocolate Truffles
    • Christmas fudge red and white peppermint fudge pinwheels
      Peppermint Fudge Pinwheels
    • homemade cherry tootsie pop hearts arranged in a Valentine's day coffee mug
      Homemade Cherry Tootsie Pop Hearts
    • conversation heart white chocolate breakable hearts filled with Valentine's Day candy
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    About Beth Klosterboer

    Comments

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    1. Anonymous says

      January 28, 2014 at 1:01 am

      the conversation cheesecake hearts. leutheb(at)msn(dot)com

      Reply
    2. Anonymous says

      January 28, 2014 at 12:17 am

      I love the heart cheesecakes with the conversation hearts! Di, bakerdi1@yahoo.com

      Reply
    3. Anonymous says

      January 28, 2014 at 12:13 am

      The cordial cherry cake pops look yummy

      Reply
    4. Rachel Rodrigues says

      January 28, 2014 at 12:07 am

      any recipe! I want to make them all! 🙂

      Reply
    5. Sugar Butter Baby says

      January 28, 2014 at 12:06 am

      This is great! I have the cordial cherry melts and didn't know what to make. It's a nice gift for a guy since they aren't too girly/lovey dovey.

      Reply
    6. Anonymous says

      January 28, 2014 at 12:03 am

      the chocolate heart boxes!
      spgoddess55(at)msn(dot)com

      Reply
    7. Sandy H says

      January 27, 2014 at 11:56 pm

      Just found you. Really interested in the cherry cake balls

      Reply
    8. Sandy H says

      January 27, 2014 at 11:55 pm

      I just found your page on facebook. The cherry cake balls have my interest.

      Reply
    9. freebiequeen15 says

      January 27, 2014 at 11:51 pm

      The conversation heart cheesecakes!

      Reply
    10. AnnaZed says

      January 27, 2014 at 11:40 pm

      I like the Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Truffles
      ******************
      {in the contest I am Margot Core on the Rafflecopter}

      Reply
    11. Marlies says

      January 27, 2014 at 9:01 pm

      Hi there! I must say, I love all of your ideas! But I have one question: why are the giveaways just for U.S. residents?? That just makes me really sad haha

      Reply
      • beth says

        January 27, 2014 at 9:25 pm

        I feel bad I can't include all my readers in the giveaways, but it's so expensive to ship outside of the US (I just shipped a box to my exchange student in Germany and it cost just under $100 - crazy!) Plus there are so many laws that it would be impossible for me to govern an international giveaway. I'm so sorry!!!

        Reply
    12. Kendra Arch says

      January 27, 2014 at 8:01 pm

      Neat idea!

      Reply
    13. Bhrngari says

      January 27, 2014 at 7:53 pm

      I *love* chocolate covered cherries, and these sound great! Much easier than making the fondant center ones!

      Reply
    14. Bryn says

      January 27, 2014 at 7:28 pm

      The ice cream truffles from yesterday

      Reply
    15. Radlady says

      January 27, 2014 at 7:11 pm

      I just stumbled upon this blog through Pinterest - love the cupcake wrappers and the Cherry Cordial bombs - will have to be trying this!

      Reply
    16. Radlady says

      January 27, 2014 at 7:10 pm

      Just stumbled upon this blog from Pinterest. Haven't checked out too much - but these Cherry Cordial Cake Balls look fabulous. Will be giving them a whirl and checking out the rest of the blog! Happy Valentines!

      Reply
    17. Amy a says

      January 27, 2014 at 6:48 pm

      The Warm and Fuzzy cupcakes! Love them.

      Reply
    18. Amy a says

      January 27, 2014 at 6:46 pm

      These Cherry balls look wonderful. I am loving your chocolate cupcake wrappers.

      Reply
    19. Kathy J says

      January 27, 2014 at 6:26 pm

      Though these Cherry Cake Balls sound and look delicious, my favorite is still the Conversation Heart Cheesecakes.

      Reply
    20. Unknown says

      January 27, 2014 at 6:22 pm

      I gotta say, I am LOVING the cordial cake pops idea!

      Reply
    Newer Comments »
    Beth Jackson Klosterboer

    Welcome to Hungry Happenings!

    I'm Beth. I've been a professional chocolatier & baker for over 30 years, have written 5 cookbooks, and love creating fun food for holidays and special occasions.

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